Israeli forces have killed a senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad accused of commanding a terrorist cell that participated in the October 7, 2023 attacks, the Israeli military reported on Tuesday.
The cell is also reported to have been involved in the abductions that occurred during the attacks.
According to the report from the Israeli military and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, the man was killed on Sunday. He is reported to have exercised various roles in the organization, including holding hostages in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Rom Braslavski, a German Israeli held hostage for two years, described the man as a tormentor during his captivity. A video clip posted on X showed Braslavski breaking into tears at the news.
He named the man as Abu Yusuf. "This is the man who, weighing over 100 kilograms, jumped on my neck while I was malnourished. This is his face. This is his hand. This is who he is."
Braslavski added: "This is the man who under his own orders and with his bare hands tortured me and almost killed me several times."
A video released by Islamic Jihad at the time showed a pale and malnourished Braslavski.
The Gaza war began after the attack by Hamas and other Palestinian groups invaded Israel, killing 1,200 and taking some 250 hostage.
Israel then retaliated resulting in tens of thousands of Palestinians killed. Accusations of war crimes and genocide have been made against Israel.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has categorically rejected these allegations. The military issues reports when it kills those suspected of carrying out the October 7 attacks.
